Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this story are not necessarily representative of the Arvada West Class of 2025, The Westwind, or Arvada West itself. The views expressed in this story belong solely to those who were interviewed.
As the 2024 Presidential Election nears, for some of the senior class at Arvada West High School, this will be their first opportunity to vote or their last election not being able to vote. With a close race, as reported by CBS News, USA Today, and a national average of polls from The New York Times and Sienna Polls, The Westwind posted a survey to seniors that asked questions about their feelings about the election, current issues, their knowledge of the candidates, and how they got their information.
A part of this survey included an option to be interviewed for a story. Seven students responded to the survey and placed their names to be interviewed. All students agreed to the same terms for the interview process.
Students were then categorized based on their survey responses if they identified more with the right, the left, or considered themselves to be moderate. Three students indicated that they identify more with the right or the left. One student indicated that they identified more as moderate. Randomly, one student from each category was selected to be interviewed and students were asked the same sets of questions. All interviews took place in person with the exception of senior Sara Walker, who, due to time constraints, answered through written responses.
A Q&A story format was chosen to allow for greater student expression.
The seniors who were selected based on their ideologies identified from the survey are as follows:
- Seventeen-year-old Jaylie Pasini-Hill, who identifies as far left. Pasini-Hill will be referred to by her initials, JPH, in the story.
- Seventeen-year-old Thomas Thomas, who identifies as moderate. Thomas will be referred to by his initials, TT, in the story.
- Eighteen-year-old Aidan Johansen who on the survey identifies as leaning right, but in the interview identified as “centrist.” Johansen will be referred to by his initials, AJ, in the story.
- Seventeen-year-old Walker who identifies as leans right. Walker will be referred to by her initials, SW, in the story.
Editor’s Note: In an effort to be transparent about balancing the story with interviewees and their ideologies, The Westwind is listing the way the process unfolded with Johansen and Walker: Three students indicated on the survey that they identify more with the right and were willing to be interviewed. Walker was chosen as the original interviewee to represent the right political ideology. She originally didn’t respond. Then, Johansen, who indicated on the survey that he “leans right,” was interviewed. When asked how he would describe his political beliefs, he considered himself to be in the center. After a follow-up to determine which was more accurate, Joahanson clarified that he identifies as “centrist.” The third student who identified more with the right and was willing to be interviewed, was reached out to but The Westwind never got a response back. After receiving a response from Walker, an interview was conducted. These events resulted in two students who identify with the center of the political spectrum being in the story.
Also, note that quotes may be cut down or slightly edited from the original interviews in order to remain concise and logical in the Q&A format. This does not mean that the original meaning of the quotes has been changed.
Here’s their responses:
Politics and their impact:
1. Would you say that politics is relevant to your life? If so, when did politics first become relevant to you? If not, why would you say that it isn’t relevant?
JHP: I would say it is pretty relevant to me just because I think that it has become so ingrained in our society. Religion has become so ingrained in our politics, and like women’s health and stuff has become part of politics. Those are things that affect me and so I do care a lot about politics and what happens with them. I think I started wanting to learn more about it, probably in like, seventh or eighth grade I would say.
TT: I would say that politics isn’t really too relevant. In the past, it really hasn’t been. Especially as a kid it really did not matter that much. I never really understood when people were always talking about politics so I didn’t really care about it. But I mean it is only starting to be a little more important now just because I’m so close to being able to vote. Being able to vote makes it a little more important because you’re actually contributing to it a little bit.
AJ: I would say politics are relevant in my life just because of the extent that [which] they can affect me but in a more personal sense or a more practical sense. I wouldn’t say it affects me too much as there are no laws or policies or bills that directly affect my life. Besides the normal taxes and those very general things, I wouldn’t say that it affects me.
SW: Yes, I believe politics have been relevant in my life because it has impacted how I live my day to day life, how my family earns a living, and determines the freedoms I have as an American. Politics first became relevant to me during Covid because of how the U.S. responded to it.
2. What is a word you’d use to describe your feelings about current politics right now?
JPH: Chaotic
TT: Chaotic
AJ: Tense
SW: Overwhelming
3. America is a country that is considered to be “politically polarized.” Has political polarization had any impact on you? If so, how has it impacted you?
JPH: I mean, I would say so, just because I think people let it get in the way of relationships. At least in my neighborhood, a lot of people put up Trump flags and Kamala flags like, everywhere. People take that very seriously. I get that. I care a lot about politics and stuff, but I don’t think that should be a deciding factor when you’re trying to be friends with somebody or not. I would say that it has had an effect on me and stuff because it has caused arguments with some of my friends and things because we don’t have the same political views and things like that, even family members and stuff.
TT: I would say yeah it has. It definitely has an impact because you’re really just expected to pick one side or the other. I feel like being somewhere in the middle isn’t very easy. I feel like these people like Donald Trump or whatever have to go by the values their party has. I feel like their party has to go by these values which I feel like isn’t very true because every person is different and it’s just not possible to have someone be all this way. They’re going to have parts of themselves that change and differ. I don’t really think that it should be possible but I feel like it is almost required and demanded of us.
AJ: I’d certainly say it has had an impact on me mainly due to the fact that in my younger days when my political opinions were more pretty much controlled by my parents, seeing as I had no idea about politics, I would say that it was more divided than I am now. Now talking to people and knowing different things, I try not to judge as much as possible. Whereas compared to my parents, it can be annoying to have any political discussions with my parents because they are very strong in their beliefs. For the most part, we agree on things but just them being judgemental of the other side, while I try to understand it as much as possible. It gets annoying sometimes I’d say.
SW: Political polarization has had an impact on my family’s relationship and is the reason why some of my relatives aren’t close. I believe political affiliation shouldn’t determine whether or not you get along with someone.
4. Do you feel like either the Democrat or Republican party accurately represents you and your political beliefs? Why or why not?
JPH: I would say the Democratic Party more. So, like, I agree with some from both sides, but I just think that the Democratic side is more about like rights for all. I think the Republican side is more about like, let’s build up this class because they’re gonna support our economy. And then, you know, like, you guys will be okay if they’re doing good. But I think the Democratic side is more like looking for rights for everybody, and like equality and equity, and like pro-choice and things like that. I think that aligns more with where I stand.
TT: Not really if I’m going to be honest. I just, I don’t know. I’m only seventeen. I’m still trying to figure out what I really believe about a lot of these topics. I’ve just been trying to learn and understand what I believe. I don’t really lean toward it in any way really.
AJ: I wouldn’t say either side. The Democrat party would normally come closer but it always feels very disingenuous to me. Then the Republican party, I also agree with some things, but it always feels like the common idea of what a Republican is and most of the stuff I’ve seen doesn’t really fit me at all.
SW: No. While I would classify myself as a Republican, the Republican party does not represent all of my beliefs.
5. Do you make your political views known to others? Why or why not?
JPH: I do to a certain extent. I think that most people around me probably know where I stand politically and I don’t mind people knowing just because it is something that gets brought up a lot, even in casual conversation. If someone asks me about it, I try to give my honest opinion. I try to avoid being the one who brings it up just because it is a really controversial topic and people have a lot of varying opinions. I also occasionally post things on my Instagram story that align with my political views, so most people probably know where I stand.
TT: I don’t really feel like making my political views known. Really it’s just because I don’t feel super strong about it. Like I don’t feel like arguing about something that I am leeway about. I don’t know it would be weird if I did that.
AJ: No, I don’t make my views known as I don’t want myself or others to be defined by our political ideologies.
SW: Sometimes when it’s appropriate and when the conversation presents itself.
6. Would you say that your political beliefs result in you not intentionally interacting with others who have differing opinions?
JPH: I try not to let that get in the way. At the end of the day, we’re in high school. A lot of us can’t even vote. So I don’t think that should be a deciding factor when trying to make friends and things like that. But there are people who kind of make that their entire personality, so I don’t want to be friends with people who are like that. I try not to let that [politics] get in the way of that [friendships,] just because I don’t think that should be a defining factor. I don’t know, like, everybody’s opinion is valid, and I don’t think either side is right or wrong.
TT: Yeah, I don’t really have a minute where I don’t want to hang out with somebody because of their political views. It doesn’t really matter to me that much.
AJ: I would say no because living in Colorado, especially in the metro area, a predominantly blue state and area, while also having lived and visited rural Texas very often, I wouldn’t say it does. I don’t let it dictate who I talk to at all.
SW: No. I would say that I have an open mind and am willing to shift my perspective.
7. To what extent would you say that people’s political beliefs define them as a person?
JPH: I think it kind of also depends on where they stand on the political scale. If people are like, independent in the middle, I think they’re kind of just like ‘I don’t care, like, whoever wins, wins.’ But if people are kind of more extremists then I think that really defines who they are, because maybe if they’re like, really conservative, then maybe they’re like, really religious or something like that, then that really plays a big role in their identity or something like that. I don’t know. I think it kind of just depends on also how they were raised and things like that, and maybe where they’re from.
TT: To me personally it doesn’t really matter. I feel like there are some people out there, especially politicians. I don’t ever really want to go into that because I feel like that has to be part of yourself and your party becomes a part of your personality.
AJ: Well I would say it can define someone but I would say not necessarily because they chose that all the time, but because of the way politics work, and the way they get passed down in our family. So at a certain point, what you believe in and how much it defines you is a little out of your control unless you know and want to embrace differences and not have that be the sole identifier in your life.
SW: Somewhat. To an extent people’s beliefs reveal what a person values.
Issues, information, and education:
8.What issues are you worried about in the upcoming presidential election? Why are you worried about them?
JPH: I would say women’s health, climate control, and gun control are probably the three biggest ones for me. I think those are the ones that would affect me the most directly because [with] gun control, like, I want to feel safe when I go to school, when I go to concerts, [ and] like when I’m just walking out. And so I’m like, I think that there should definitely be more, not like a ban for, like, getting rid of guns, because, like, obviously that’s not ever gonna happen, but like, more regulations and things like that. I’ve seen so many statistics and things where, if you look at like, in Sweden, they have like a 14-step routine to get a weapon, like a gun or something. The amount of shootings that they have is like this many compared to us [ less compared to us.] And then climate control, like, I think that’s just going to become an increasing issue in the next, like, upcoming years, in the next decades. I think that’s something that needs to be addressed because if we don’t, like, we’re kind of all screwed.
*The Westwind was unable to verify the number of steps it takes to get a weapon in Sweden. Instead, it did find the process to get a weapon’s license and regulations around firearms.
TT: Not really a lot of them are super relevant. It’s just a lot like the home life I live. I’m white. I’m male. I’m from a pretty normal family. There’s not much that I’d be pretty concerned about.
AJ: Well, I say one of the main ones is just the country’s reaction because we obviously know there was the January 6th riot after Biden won the election and Trump was not very happy about that. Whether Trump wins or whether he loses I’d say there’s going to be a lot of tension. Whether or not it is going to be as bad as the January 6th event, I don’t know. And then also I wonder about how well Kamala’s [Harris] campaign will go since the Democrat party candidate was Biden for the last four years. His whole presidency was like ‘Oh he’s going to run again’ but then they switched it up in the last couple of months. I wonder how that will work. Whether that gives them more confidence because they knew it was a better idea to switch or whether or not it is going to be negative and people are not going to be as confident seeing as usually the President is more in the spotlight than the Vice President.
SW: I am worried about immigration, [the] security of our country and border, inflation [with the] higher cost of living, and gun rights [ with] losing the constitutional right of the second amendment.
When we look at things such as presidential debates, there are always topics that will be addressed. For example, the economy, immigration, civil rights etc.
9. What is a topic that you’d consider yourself to have a well-rounded opinion on? How have you educated yourself on it?
JPH: I would say probably abortion, just because I think that has a really direct effect on me. Last year in AP Lang, I did some of my research articles and things on that, and in the debates and stuff they kind of touched on it a little bit, I think but I think it definitely could have been like a topic that they talked about for longer. I also think that that’s been something that they’ve turned into, like a religious thing versus like a scientific thing, or like a medical thing, which I don’t necessarily agree with but that’s okay. I kind of tried to educate myself on that a little bit more, just because I think that could have a direct effect on me. Not necessarily just abortion, but also, like, IVF and things like that.
TT: It’s a hard question. I would say maybe as of late I’ve learned a lot about things like taxes mainly because I’ve had to start filing taxes. Also, I’ve learned more about education and all of that is because my mom is a teacher.
AJ: I’d really say there’s not, at least politics-wise, there’s not anything that I’m overly familiar with which is why I try not to take one side or the other because I don’t know what one side is saying is true or not. So when it comes to the economy and immigration, things like that I really can’t say I know too much.
SW: Transgender athletes. As a female athlete, I’m very passionate about female sports and maintaining a positive, fair female environment. I researched and wrote an in-depth essay on transgender athletes my junior year and how they were detrimental to female sports.
10. What is a topic that you feel you don’t know much about or have a formed opinion on? Why do you think this is the case?
JPH: Economics. I know that it’s important and like obviously there are so many different aspects and things to it, and like, Harris and Trump have two different plans for that. It’s maybe a little bit less controversial [between] the two different sides, and so I haven’t looked into either of the sides too much. I think [that] I definitely should. I don’t know why I haven’t looked into that much. I think maybe just because that hasn’t had a direct effect on me. Inflation and things like that, their plans for the middle-class economy, that also affects me. For college, there’s student debt and things like that. I should look at that.
TT: I think maybe this itself. I can’t think too much of that big political stuff. I think that it is because I’m not that well educated on politics itself, so I don’t know too much about a lot of the problems. I guess something that I could say is world conflict. Like the Ukraine war and trying to be neutral with Russia. That kind of stuff I don’t know much about and I think it’s because I feel like a lot of humans don’t have too strong beliefs about it so I don’t feel like a lot of people like to talk about it that much because they themselves don’t really know what to do.
AJ: I’d mainly say the economy because it seems like such a wide topic with so many facets that affect it. Whether or not it is foreign policy or just normal inflation, there are so many things that I think about and consider [when] whether the economy was worse under one person or the other. There are different circumstances. I watched a large section of the Presidential debate between Kamala and Trump and when they were referencing the inflation rate under Biden compared to under Trump it was significantly more under Biden, but we also have to consider Ukraine, Covid, and the Israeli-Palestine war that has all popped up in this span. Compared [to Trump] there weren’t as many high-profile conflicts during Trump’s presidency as far as I remember. It’s hard to determine whether or not it is the president’s fault or extenuating circumstances.
SW: The war in Gaza. I believe this is the case because it’s not happening in America nor is it affecting me directly.
11. Where do you get your information from? Are there any particular sources that you go to frequently? Why?
JPH: I mean, like, the news, but also that can be really biased. So, I mean, like The New York Times. I think it can be really helpful. This sounds really bad, but I’ll see things on TikTok and then that will spark my interest. And then I’ll take that and look it up somewhere else, and then kind of like go down a rabbit hole. I kind of just like, will see something, and it’ll spark my interest. Then I Google it further and find different sources. I try to stay away from, like, broadcasting things like CNN and Fox [News.] I also try to not listen to things that my friends tell me, just because I don’t know where they’re getting their information from.
TT: If I’m going to be honest a lot of it comes from my parents and my family. I mean it’s just how it goes when you look up to those people you have to be biased towards them. Whatever they believe at least for your childhood you’re going to view the same way as them for a lot of beliefs. I’d say yeah that’s where I get it. I’ve learned a lot from friends in school and just through social media which is probably not the best way to get information but I’ve gotten a lot from social media as well.
AJ: For the most part it’s usually ABC and CNN never really Fox News. Occasionally, [ I get it from] international publications like Aljazeera and things like that. That’s usually where I get information from. I try not to find information that I find on the internet scrolling for the facts. I’ll use that to research something or find something out if it’s interesting but I never try to say that’s the exact truth.
SW: I get information from social media, news articles, and my parents and teachers.
12. Do you believe it is important to be an informed voter? Why or why not?
JPH: One hundred percent because I think if people aren’t doing their research and they’re just kind of blindly going in and voting they could be contributing to something that they don’t believe in at all. And not necessarily, like the wrong thing, but like, they could be contradicting [themselves.] I think if people aren’t educating themselves before they’re voting, don’t vote. I guess, like, the blue book is also a good thing. It kind of gives them, like, a little snippet before. It can kind of help. But I think everybody should [ be informed.] You have Google, go on Google. Do something before you go vote. Everybody should vote too like you have access to it. Google, then go vote.
TT: I think it should be because if you’re voting on it you might as well. If you’re going to have some kind of impact or opinion on it or put some sort of opinion, I feel like you should have some idea of what you are doing. Even if it’s not too much as long as you have some good reason behind it, it’s understandable.
AJ: I’d say it is. Like let’s take the presidential debate for example and you’re supporting one side and you don’t know much, you’re going to assume one side is true. That goes for both. While watching the presidential debate [there were things] that I assumed or thought might not be true. I looked it up to see whether or not they were telling the truth. And there were on both sides a couple of things they said that just weren’t right. Well some of them were pretty obvious I don’t think I have to mention. You don’t have to be all-knowing but if you think something sounds a little bit weird, just look it up. It’s that easy.
SW: Yes! It is important to know which candidate accurately represents your values and which candidate is more likely to better this country.
The future:
13. By the next presidential election, what type of progress would you like to see?
JPH: Honestly I think there should be more regulations on everything. I feel like so many things are kind of just unknown. Like, people are like, ‘Oh, we should do this,’ but it’s like, okay, like, that doesn’t mean anything. Like, I feel like immigration is always a really big topic, and everybody always says, like, we should do this, and then nothing really ever comes of it. So I feel like, honestly, just more security, and people like doing what they say they want to do. Honestly, I would like to see religion being separated from politics, because I think that incorporates something that doesn’t include everybody. Like, that doesn’t apply to everybody, and I think that’s not fair to a really large population of our country. Also, like switching over to more, clean energy resources and things like that. I think that that would be a lot more progressive and moving in the right direction. Once the non- renewable energy resources are gone, like, that’s it, you can’t really do anything else about that. You have one Earth and then once it’s done, it’s done. So, climate control and I would say just more well-roundedness in general.
TT: I just hope they have more presidential options that are better. In my personal opinion, I feel like I don’t really know a lot of people who really like Trump or Harris. Like they are really only voting for them because of the party they go for, not for the people they are. So I just feel like that’s different compared to JFK or Ronald Regan. I feel like people like them for the actual person. Like Barack Obama, I feel like people liked him but I feel like now nobody is interesting and I feel like people don’t really care about Harris or Trump really much. It’s more about the party itself
AJ: I would definitely like to see more focus on American citizens. Although it is kind of a joke sometimes, I think America has a lot of issues that it can be focusing on so whenever I see the U.S. supporting other countries- not that they shouldn’t- but it does feel like a slap in the face to Americans who are in dire need like the Hurricane Helene victims. It seems like they have hardly gotten any help at least as far as I know. I’d like to see more support for Americans who are in crisis whether or not it is from natural disasters or from circumstances like poverty or living conditions.
SW: I hope to see a more secure country, healthier Americans, and less inflation.
14. Do you believe that progress is realistic?
JPH: Yes, to a certain extent, but I also think it depends who ends up president because I think whoever wins, it kind of depends what they’re going to focus on. If Trump wins, he’s gonna focus on different things. Like, he’s probably gonna focus more on things like immigration, economics, and things like that. If Kamala wins, she’s probably gonna focus more on restoring things like Roe v. Wade, things like that, gun control things, and the energy stuff. So it just depends on who wins, like, what direction they’re gonna focus on.
TT: I mean I’ve only been alive for seventeen years so I don’t really know much about how the United States has progressed and changed, but I don’t feel like it’s going to change in four years. It might change in eight or twelve years, but I don’t think it is going to change that much in four years. I feel like that would be too quick.
AJ: No, no not at all. I would say especially some of the things I think of are caused by American corporations. Especially contamination and poor living conditions. There is no reason for them to want to fix it because it would cost them money to be more ecologically friendly. I’m thinking of companies that cause a lot of issues but there are other things. I don’t think it’s realistic.
SW: Yes. I believe that we have more similarities than differences and I believe progress starts when we allow it to.
15. What is your hope for the future of American politics?
JHP: I just kind of hope that in the future, we don’t have to vote on things like women’s reproductive rights and things that are going to affect people’s lives, like life or death. I kind of just hope that we can also kind of get rid of the really big divide that we have, because it’s very competitive. It’s a really big divide that we have and I feel like it didn’t used to be like that. I feel like it’s a more recent thing. I think that’s causing a lot of issues.
TT: I just hope that politics doesn’t get into such a matter where it can drastically change everything about our lives. I understand that there are some things that need to change or whatever, but I just hope that in the future it doesn’t completely change things to a way where people’s whole lives can shift. I just feel like the government has the ability to do that and I just hope that they don’t completely change things and make things worse.
AJ: Maybe like going back to the days when Presidential candidates weren’t at each other’s throats,insulting each other like children, and actually acting like distinguished politicians, like how they should regardless if they are completely different.
SW: I think political polarization is the biggest problem in America and I hope American politics and America in general will be less divided in the future.
